And Then One Day
by Vermillion Lies
Summary: "When he was seven, Dean Winchester was convinced that he was going to marry Castiel Novak when he grew up." High School AU. Rated for drug use, FLUFF, and foolishness.


If Supernatural belonged to me, I wouldn't be dead inside right now.

Anyway, fluffy little high school thing because it helps make the pain go away.

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><p>When he was seven, Dean Winchester was convinced that he was going to marry Castiel Novak when he grew up. Except now he's seventeen and he hasn't talked to Cas in years.<p>

It wasn't an intentional thing. It's not like when they entered high school Dean started shunning Cas because Cas was the weird kid who stared too much and didn't understand personal space. Cas had _always_ been the weird kid who stared too much and didn't understand personal space. Sure, a lot of people thought he was a bit too weird, or at least weird in all the wrong ways, but Dean hadn't minded since they were five.

No, Dean stopped talking to Cas purely because he stopped _seeing _Cas. High school was when they started really dividing classes by levels. Cas was taking AP pretty much everything and Latin which didn't coincide with Dean's Honors and Spanish in the least. And there would have been weekends, but the younger boy joined all sorts of nerdy clubs and got high a lot while Dean was busy being the jock his father had always wanted him to be.

Their lives converge for the first time in what feels like decades at one of Gabriel's parties. Gabriel was some relation of Cas' or another; Dean never quite got the exact way his bizarre, über-religious family worked. They might have been cousins. Or uncle and nephew. Brothers? It didn't really matter.

Gabriel was also something of an utter jackass, but he was something of an utter jackass that threw awesome parties which was really what mattered at the moment. Dean was there because Pam was going to be there. For about a year now they'd shared a bizarre "we're not going to have sex but wouldn't it be awesome if we did? Let's be complete cockteases" relationship that didn't make much sense to anyone. An integral part of the chase Dean didn't particularly want to end was that he occasionally felt obliged to do things like go to parties that he knew she would also be attending. It was like how sometimes Pam would show up at his house with beer and horror movies or sit too close to him.

Cas was at Gabriel's party because he now lived with Gabriel. Cas had either been kicked out by his parents or sued them for teenaged emancipation or whatever it was called. Dean didn't know because he'd only heard about it by vague rumor. Sure Cas stayed out off the gossip radar for the most part, but things like that were bound to be talked about.

They encountered each other by pure coincidence, namely some burly guy from the wrestling team who couldn't handle his liquor stumbled into Cas who poured his beer on Dean who was more surprised than anything else.

And that was how they wound up in Cas' bedroom, because he insisted on giving Dean a clean shirt and Dean _would_ protest, but he didn't relish the idea of going home reeking of cheap beer.

"Dude, it's a shirt, it really doesn't require this much thought," Dean pointed out after Cas had spent about five minutes rifling through his closet with no result.

Cas huffed a laugh, "I'm trying to find something that'll fit you decently. You're kinda a bit bigger than I am."

There wasn't much Dean could say to that so he just flopped back on Cas bed and stared at the ceiling.

"You still have glow in the dark stars."

"If by "still" you mean I put them up intentionally when I moved in, then yes," Cas replies a bit sharply, now digging through a chest of drawers.

"Right, sorry about that. Did you – How did that whole thing work out? I mean, your parents, are they-" and there's really no way to properly phrase a question when you're not even sure what it is you're asking.

"Overall, I'd say that we're all happier. Even Gabriel, though you'd have to pull his teeth to get him to admit it."

Dean contemplated this while taking a sip of his beer, watching as Cas bent to dig through the bottom drawer; the kid really was putting too much effort into this. "I take it you still cook, then."

Cas shot him a funny look over his shoulder, like he was wondering why exactly Dean remembered that. "Got it in one. Ha!" Dean was hit in the face by a bundle of black cotton.

Unfolding it with a frown Dean was surprised to find himself confronted with a very familiar Led Zeppelin shirt. "I spent ages looking for this thing."

"Honestly, I forgot I had it."

Dean shrugged because it really wasn't a big deal and set the brown bottle of beer down on Cas' bedside table so he could change shirts. It fit him a lot better now than it had four years ago when he'd last worn it.

And now it was just Dean, Cas, and an awkward silence. Dean found himself not really wanting to go back down to the party and not sure what to do about it.

Cas seemed to be feeling the same way if the slightly uncomfortable way he was staring down at Dean was any indication.

"Wanna get high?" he offered at last.

And really, Dean knew he shouldn't, because he had a game the next day, but he couldn't be fucked to care. So he just laughed and said okay.

And that was how Dean Winchester found himself lying close to Castiel Novak's side on his tiny twin bed passing a joint back and forth in comfortable silence.

"How's Sam?" Cas asked at one point because he'd always had more in common with Sam than Dean, even though they were better friends.

"Good. He's real good. He keeps having geek-gasms about his AP History class. The little nerd's actually excited to be in high school."

Cas chuckles, "Tell him I said "hi"."

"Sure," Dean pauses, "you could always tell him yourself, you know. I'm sure he'd love to talk to you."

"Right."

They lapsed back into a comfortable silence.

"Do you remember when I asked you to marry me?" Dean asks, because he himself had just remembered and it's a nice, silly sort of memory that he felt like bringing up. He hadn't realized how awkward it would sound out in the real world.

Cas paused, his tongue flicked out to wet dry lips, "Yeah," he said, taking the joint between his lips. His voice was warm and soft and there really wasn't much else to say.

When the pot has gone and Cas has stubbed it out in an ashtray he kept beside the bed they stayed side-by-side and quiet, listening to the distant sounds of teenaged revelry.

Without any thought or planning whatsoever, Dean rolled onto his side, "Hey, Cas."

"Mm?" Cas was feeling hazy and languid and good when he slowly rolled his head to meet Dean's eyes.

Dean's hand fit perfectly on Cas' neck as his thumb came to rest in front of his ear. He gave Cas plenty of time to pull away but he didn't take it. He just stayed still and watched as Dean's face slowly got closer and his eyes shut and their lips met.

It was good. Sure, they both tasted like pot and beer, but they quickly fell into a slow, lazy rhythm as Dean's hand went to bury itself in Cas' hair which was exactly as soft as it looked and Cas' hand curved perfectly around Dean's ribs.

"What are we doing?" Cas asked, rough-voiced and quiet, when they broke apart to breathe.

"Something stupid," Dean muttered, connecting their mouths again. Cas made a sound of assent in the back of this throat and tugged Dean just a little bit closer.

"Something we should have done a while ago," Dean amended, pulling away for exactly the amount of time it took to get the words out. Cas made the exact same sound of assent and Dean could feel the quirk of his lips.

Dean smiled at him, eyes half-shut and expression appropriately dopey, and kissed him again before rolling onto his back and keeping hold of Cas so the younger boy wound up slanted half on top of him.

Cas wriggled briefly to get comfortable and ended up with his face settled beneath Dean's collarbone and an arm slung across his chest.

They fell asleep like that.

In the morning Cas woke when he felt Dean shift beneath him. Dean was frozen, staring down at him. Cas' face went blank and he made to roll away.

Dean stopped him with the arm still wrapped around his back. He licked his lips but otherwise remained frozen. Cas just stared and waited.

"I have a game today," Dean said at last.

Cas nodded and didn't move.

"If – Would it be okay, if I came by? After."

Cas nodded, his face slowly relaxing.

The tension left Dean's body and he grinned before pulling Cas up to kiss him again. Cas made a funny sort of noise and molded himself to Dean's body like he didn't have a single bone in his own.

"Fuck I wish I didn't have a game today," Dean muttered.

Cas' answering grin was one hundred percent wicked. "You could always miss it."

"Cas-"

"Just go and come back. I'm stuck here all day anyway because of an essay; you'll be a welcome distraction."

"Essay or no, I am _always_ a welcome distraction," Dean replied, voice half-growl because Cas' suggestion of just missing the game was way too tempting.

Cas just gave him a patronizing smile and rolled over to bury his face in the pillow. "I'll be the judge of that when you get back."


End file.
